2012 Volkswagen Tiguan Recalls, Ratings & Complaints

Incident: September 27, 2026 · Filed: September 27, 2026

A couple of weeks now my steering wheel has been locking while I’m driving, sadly I thought it was because I needed to get my car serviced. This morning my steering wheel locked out of nowhere as I was turning and I almost ended up in a head on collision with another car while my kids were in the car. Then my brother did some research and sent me NHTSA link talking about the recalls. This is absolutely dangerous and I need to get reimbursed or something for my SUV doing this. It’s dangerous and can possibly kill someone.

Incident: October 6, 2025 · Filed: November 2, 2025

Steering wheel gets locked up while driving; power steering fails. The red steering light turns on. This is a problem that happens to several Tiguans. There were no prior symptoms prior to failure. This is extremely dangerous and difficult to deal with while driving, especially on the freeway. please help.

Incident: August 27, 2025 · Filed: August 28, 2025

I was driving the car and the steering wheel locked out of nowhere A red steering light came on the dashboard. I’ve never seen before

Incident: January 25, 2024 · Filed: August 25, 2025

The contact owns a 2012 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing excessive oil consumption. Additionally, while driving at 65 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle was able to restart. The check engine, EPC, and TPMS warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 135,000.

Incident: August 1, 2024 · Filed: April 10, 2025

The clockspring has failed and there are recalls on similar models of Tiguans of the same year.

Incident: March 13, 2025 · Filed: March 17, 2025

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Defective Primary Engine Water Pump, yes. The original primary engine water pump system for a 2012 VW Tiguan 2.0 was replaced under the VW extended warranty in 2020 by an authorized dealer as a the result of the class action suit---please see Water Pump Class Action and Limited Warranty Extension bulletin issued by NHTSA. The replacement primary engine water pump system installed in 2020 has been found to be defective in March 2025 and the primary engine water pump requires replacement a second time -- without a warranty extension and less than five years from the date of service of the replacement under the Water Pump Class Action and Limited Warranty Extension issued by NHTSA. VW is still using defective primary engine water pump systems throughout the warranty period----does the NHTSA have any evidence that VW made modifications to the primary engine water pump system after the bulletin issued by NHTSA? Was it a requirement that VW modify the primary engine water pump system? I have been informed that no changes were made to the VW primary engine water pump that was used to replace defective primary engine water pump systems as a result of the Water Pump Class Action and Limited Warranty Extension. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? A defective primary engine water pump is a safety risk because it creates a potential for engine failure. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? The problem has been confirmed by an authorized VW dealer. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? UNKNOWN Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? Indicator warning lights on dash--RED.

Incident: December 23, 2024 · Filed: December 31, 2024

The engine could not be started after 13 years and 103,000+ miles. I had to get the car towed to my garage at night, after several prior trips same day. There were no check engine lights or any other indicators. The engine had newer spark plugs, ignition coils and pcv valve installed as well as chain checked a year prior to this. Had a mobile mechanic come by and inspect the car. He determined that the engine has lost compression and that the oil was low. The spark plugs were soaked in gas because engine could not properly compress and ignite the fuel. After adding oil the problem did not go away. He performed the compression test and confirmed his suspicion about engine not being able to compress the fuel. The most likely cause was the timing chain issue but he could not inspect the chain to confirm due to difficulty of doing it. The engine valves were not moving as expected as well. He could not read any meaningful codes from the car computer. There were no electrical or starter issues, just that engine has lost compression. The car had regular oil changes, break fluid changes and tire rotations. Just two weeks prior to car breaking down it passed emissions test. As far as I know, these vehicles have had issues with timing chains stretching out and VW has sent out a recall about these issues a while back. I don't believe my vehicle was under this recall. This vehicle has had all recalls addressed. At this point I will have to get rid of the car because the cost to fix this issue will be the same or more than the car is worth.

Incident: July 30, 2024 · Filed: August 16, 2024

The contact owns a 2012 Volkswagen Tiguan. The contact stated while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The contact was able to coast to the side of the road to restart the vehicle. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent and had occurred at various speeds. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V441000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 143,000.

Incident: July 22, 2024 · Filed: July 30, 2024

I was accelerating on the highway when my engine started making a rattling sound and the check engine light came on. I took my car into a specialty European auto shop and they determined my timing chain and tensioner needed replacing. The price is going to be over $5k and there are only 113,763 miles. I’ve always taken my car to a VW dealership for scheduled maintenance. As others have mentioned I never received a notice about this problem earlier from VW.

Incident: October 10, 2022 · Filed: March 11, 2024

Sunroof lets water in and floods in car causing electrical problems, mold, rust, ruining roof interior and carpets. The air bag and horn stopped working and clock spring needs to be replaced. I had no prior warning of that these problems would occur. I have spent thousands of dollars in repairs for electrical trying to figure out why the car stopped working and also how water was getting into car when there is no leaks around the sunroof. This puts the safety of my family as well as others on the road when my car breaks down. I wasn't able to drive my car for months during the winter because the area around the fuel tank froze from rain water sitting in area unknown.